The Weirdness Of In-Betweens and Other Stories - Issue #6
Observations of being stuck, the MCU, and Nollywood.
What’s up, people? How have the past weeks been? How has work or school been? Did any of you get married these past weeks? You’re free to reply to me with answers to these questions, I’ll definitely write back.
First of all, thank you so much for your responses to the last issue. It was a kind of catharsis for me, talking about it for the first time was a crucial part of getting to feel better.
The first of a few things I want to talk about today is a kind of runoff of the last issue. There is a weirdness of being stuck in in-betweens, where you’re unsure if you’re going forward or backward so you don’t fully commit to anything. It’s almost funny even, because you find yourself planning in details for some future and then reality reigns you in, reminding you that your plans are not set in stone.
You have this mixture of hope and despair. On some days you wake up pumped and excited because you’re sure that you’re moving to the next level, other days you fully believe that you are never moving forward.
I am not writing about it because I have some solution to being unstuck, I think it’s just an observation of what’s been happening in my life these past weeks.
Anyway, away from that, I want to talk about the MCU and the enthralling power of cinematic universes. These past weeks, I watched Black Widow and finished Loki—both of which I enjoyed—and I was left wondering how much of the MCU’s critical acclaim lies in the intertwining of their films, and now streaming series.
I am not saying that the MCU films do not hold some water when they stand alone, but being set in a cinematic universe elevates them to some kind of intricate art that we must keenly watch lest something flies over our heads. It has also given them the power to hold our collective attention, look at the way Twitter was in the Mouse’s grasp when WandaVision was being released every week. The series even tried to give context to one of my least favourite MCU films, Age Of Ultron. I will never forgive them for killing Quicksilver and they think we’ve forgotten that Wanda had a horrible accent in the Ultron film that somehow disappeared.
Cinematic universes, with Marvel’s own being the most successful, transport us to new worlds with characters we are able to watch grow over time. They can elaborate on themes, give context to scenes we thought forgettable, and—most important of all—make a shit ton of money. So, films that might be lacklustre on standing alone find glorious purpose when existing in a cinematic universe.
Bringing me to my next observation/hot take: I think King Of Boys has cinematic universe potential. Now, don’t boo me yet, just listen.
Kemi Adetiba, whether consciously or not, created a microcosm of Lagos when making the film. It’s been a while I watched it but I remember how Eniola Salami sat at the head of that table and I strongly believe each of the characters there has the potential to become great films if their stories are handled with adept storytelling. All their lives are intertwined by common motivations and a general pursuit of ruling the city and the length of the film shows how much thought was put into the rise of Eniola which could be a stand-alone film or limited series that will exist in the KOB cinematic universe.
There are valid criticisms of KOB—the choppy editing, the inadequate cinematography—but it has strong intriguing characters that would make for more study. I am excited for the series that will form the sequel for King Of Boys, even though the teaser released used a cliche Hollywood heist trope. And even though it never becomes a cinematic universe, I am proud of how ambitious it already is—a rarity in Nollywood that is overrun with vacuous comedies and shots of Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge.
What this newsletter is listening to.
Lorde dropped the second single, Stoned At The Nail Salon, from her upcoming album, Solar Power. It’s a folksy song where she reflects on her younger self and how much she has changed. Listening to it saw me draw parallels with two of her other songs: Ribs, where she is scared of getting older; and Sober, where she also sings about an altered state of mind.
What this newsletter is watching.
I’m almost done with my Superstore rewatch and I also started watching Bojack Horseman today. I know I’m late to the party but I’m two episodes in and I believe that this series will be a great study on the general shittiness of humans [or at least human animal hybrids].
What this newsletter is thinking about.
It is so difficult to redefine a relationship and sometimes you have to deconstruct a thing so you can build it up to something that works for both of you. I am in the middle of something like that now and it’s beating my ass, there’s so much arguing and uncomfortable conversations but I believe it will be even more beautiful in the end.